Madrid, Spain, Aug 19, 2011 / 20:16 pm
The sponsors of an exhibit on anti-Christian persecution gave blessed rosaries and medals to young Catholics from persecuted countries during World Youth Day.
Aid to the Church in Need gave pilgrims objects that were blessed by John Paul II during an Aug. 20, 1986 audience.
Among the first to receive the items were a young man and his fellow pilgrims from Egypt.
“Initially, he was very surprised to be given the gift and seemed to be deeply moved by the gesture,” said Edward Clancy, Aid to the Church in Need USA’s director of Evangelization and Outreach.